“What would Hollywood be without desire and greed?”

As a noir fan, I’m ready to read anything from Eddie Muller. He’s so obviously an expert on the subject–but more than that he’s also an aficionado, and it shows in The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics From the Classic Era of Film Noir. In the introduction, Muller notes that film noir posters have become a hot commodity for collectors recently, and that every poster “flaunts luscious spoils; at the same time warning of the dangers awaiting anyone who tried to possess them.” The book’s layout underscores the idea that noir is about style–every page is loaded with glorious colour reprints of posters. But apart from all the eye-catching posters, there’s also plenty of text. The book is organized into six chapters:

Styles of the Hollywood System
Noir Around the World
Thematic and Iconographic Elements of Film Noir
The Usual Suspects–Noir’s Most Familiar Faces
Prominent and Prolific Noir Writers
Noir’s Most Acclaimed (and Neglected) Directors

While the book offers a splendid overview of the genre, the thing I like about it the most is that the posters give the flavor of the film–there are visuals here for many long lost and neglected titles. This oversized book is the perfect gift for the noir fan in your life, and The Art of Noir certainly offers this noir fan more titles to dig up and watch.